One of the joys of stamp collecting is the wide scope of
philatelic literature. Stamp have been the subjects of journals, books,
and newspapers since collecting became popular in the 1860s. Collectors
have published many thousands of books on subjects from general stamp
collecting to details of one particular stamp. Ultimately stamp
collecting involves learning about stamps and postal history. Often
this leads to the desire to publish original findings. New publications
add to the vast body of knowledge about stamp collecting. In its own
way this group of web-published pages is another step in the saga of
philatelic literature.

For more information about the literature of stamp
collecting, contact the American
Philatelic Research Library (APRL), an affiliate of the American
Philatelic Society (APS). The APRL has an on-line card
catalog and a large searchable data base of articles of philatelic
interest. It is the premier philatelic library in the United States.
It is also affiliated with several regional philatelic libraries.
Books are available directly to Members and through the
Interlibrary
Loan Service to non-members. Articles can be copied and sent on request
for modest fees.

The starting point for someone interested in learning
about stamp collecting is any one of the excellent handbooks that have
been published over the years. Two of the best are:

2) Williams, Williams, Leon Norman Fundamentals
of Philately State College, PA :
American Philatelic Society, 1990 xv, 862 p.: ill., facsims., photos;
24 cm. Includes
bibliographical references and index. The first edition of this book
was published in 1971 -- verso of title page. APS Handbook series
American Philatelic Society.

For further information about stamps in a dictionary or
encyclopedic form, one should read:

Finally, the collector will soon find that one of the
standard catalogues is a necessity. The de facto standard in the United
States is the set of catalogues published annually by the Scott
Publishing Company. To repeat some advice from an earlier section, one
should read and reread the introductory material in any of these
catalogues to learn or refresh one's memory about stamp collecting.

The Scott Catalogue is published (currently) in three
approaches. One catalogue, composed of
six bulky volumes, covers the world of stamps and lists most of the
stamps which Scott deems collectible. The volumes are arranged
alphabetically by country. This group is called Standard
Postage Stamp Catalogue. The title is preceded by the year
date. Like car model years, the 1999 catalogue is published during the
summer of 1998. As a complete set of
current catalogues is expensive, the beginning collector should
consider an older, used catalogue that covers his area of interest. It
will have everything but the latest stamps, latest prices, and newest
finds. Take care in selecting the particular volume as Scott has
rearranged the content of the catalogues over the years.

The second Scott catalogue is the Specialized
Catalogue of U.S. Stamps that is the
"Bible" for U.S. collectors. It provides extensive coverage of U.S.
stamps and is the right starting point for someone who is going to
pursue U.S. stamps vigorously. Again, an out of date copy can be nearly
as useful to a collector as a new copy.

Finally, Scott also publishes a Classic Stamp
Catalogue that includes only the stamps
issued through 1940, the first 100 years of stamp issuing. This
catalogue is useful to those who wish to concentrate on older stamps.
Except for price changes, this catalogue does not change much from year
to year.

All of the items in this bibliography can be purchased
by bidding on lots offered at eBay. Each has been offered recently.
Alternatively, you can contact one of the several dealers in philatelic
literature if you wish to obtain a copy sooner. Nearly all dealers will
have the catalogues and most will have good handbooks available for
purchase and immediate delivery.

There are, of course, catalogues that are favored in
other countries and in other languages.
Often these are the catalogues of choice for the stamps of their
country. The collector should take the time to learn about the
literature published about the stamps in which he is interested. It
will add to the rewards of the hobby.

As you learn more about stamps you may want to add some
of the many interesting books about more limited areas. Many
interesting items are available in the Publications subcategories of
the eBay Auction. Useful bibliographies were recommended by
members of the eBay Users Stamp Club in 1999: Part
I,Part
II,Recommended
Italian Literature (As submitted by Paolo Bagaglia).

If you want to share the name of a book on stamps that
you can't do without and it's not listed here, please email me the name
of the book, author, publisher, and why you think it's helpful for
collectors. If you have comments on the books listed here,
please let me know, and
email us your "mini-review."